Patriots beat Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII

A jubilant Brady ran onto the field after the final horn after joining an elite club of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl victories.
Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff

Patriots beat Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII

Patriots coach Bill Belichick hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the second time after shepherding his team to another title, this time in a wild, back-and-forth contest.

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| January 5, 2012

David Givens took a pass from Tom Brady down to the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter to set up a touchdown pass to Mike Vrabel.

New York Times photo
| January 5, 2012

The scoring began in the second quarter when Deion Branch corralled a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady.

REUTERS
| January 5, 2012

Brady won MVP honors for his performance, which included 32-of-48 passing for 354 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

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| January 5, 2012

Brady connected with Branch for a game-high 10 catches for 143 yards and a score.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff
| January 5, 2012

Brady led the Patriots to 481 total yards in a game that had seven lead changes.

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| January 5, 2012

Harrison tackled Panthers tight end Jermaine Wiggins, who was with the Patriots when they won Super Bowl XXXVI two years earlier.

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| January 5, 2012

Defender Matt Chatham celebrates a tackle against the Panthers. The game went in waves, with no points scored in the first and third quarters and 61 points scored in the second and fourth quarters combined.

Brady, celebrating a touchdown pass, had an answer seemingly for every attack the Panthers put forth.

Globe Photo
| January 5, 2012

Vrabel knocked the ball out of the hand of Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme. The hit forced a fumble that was recovered by New England.

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| January 5, 2012

Givens went high to haul in this touchdown pass from Brady in the second quarter.

REUTERS
| January 5, 2012

The score was one of five catches in the game for Givens.

AP
| January 5, 2012

Wiggins leaped over defensive back Eugene Wilson for a Panthers first down in the third quarter.

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| January 5, 2012

Brady, evading pressure from Brentson Buckner, spread his 32 passes around to six different receivers.

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| January 5, 2012

This catch by Branch set up the Patriots' second touchdown in the second quarter that they used to secure a 14-10 lead at halftime.

John Bohn/Globe Staff
| January 5, 2012

After Carolina took a 22-21 lead, Brady found Vrabel wide open in the end zone for a touchdown with less than three minutes to play.

Globe Staff photo
| January 5, 2012

A short celebration by the Patriots, adjacent to the frustration of Panthers defensive end Al Wallace, was followed by a Kevin Faulk run for a two-point conversion.

AP
| January 5, 2012

The Patriots still needed more, however, after the Panthers tied the game at 29-29. With just seconds to go in the game, tackle Tom Ashworth lifted up teammate Brian Kinchen to celebrate driving into field-goal position.

Globe Staff photo
| January 5, 2012

Adam Vinatieri drilled a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left to clinch the 32-29 victory.

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| January 5, 2012

It was the second time in three seasons that Vinatieri had won a Super Bowl with a field goal in the final seconds.

AP
| January 5, 2012

A jubilant Brady ran onto the field after the final horn after joining an elite club of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl victories.

Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
| January 5, 2012

Harrison, who suffered an arm injury late in the game, earned a Super Bowl ring in his first season with the Patriots after joining the club as a free agent.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff
| January 5, 2012

Brady and the Patriots went 14-2 in the regular season and finished the Super Bowl with 15 consecutive wins.

AP
| January 5, 2012

For veteran linebacker Tedy Bruschi, it was the second Super Bowl win in three tries, as he was a hold-over member of the Patriots who appeared in Super Bowl XXXI.

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| January 5, 2012

Just 26, Brady found himself on the podium with the commissioner for the second time in his four-year career.

Jim Davis/Globe Staff
| January 5, 2012

Back in Boston, thousands of Patriots fans celebrated in the streets around Faneuil Hall after the Super Bowl win.

REUTERS
| January 5, 2012

Two days after the game, Brady got to show off two Lombardi trophies to tens of thousands of fans who flocked to City Hall Plaza to celebrate with the Patriots.